David Kostelecky
I'm going to agree with some of the other reviewers and start off by saying that I hate to be mean. But sometimes you just have to be honest. I saw this in a packed theater here in Houston and have to admit, at first I was excited. The notion of seeing a super low budget horror flick in theaters appealed to me. I love the DIY ethos and love the fact that it would be displayed in a public setting. But from the beginning that enthusiasm quickly drained. I mean, there are lots of things one can forgive in low-budget flicks. But the one thing I cannot forgive is an out of focus camera. At first I thought hmmm maybe it's just that one shot...but it played for almost an entire scene...and it made it in the film. The other thing is the constant comparisons I've read to this honoring Lovecraft. Maybe Stuart Gordon's interpretation to what he thinks Lovecraft's writing was, but I don't see anything even remotely "Lovecraftian" in execution. There was bad ADR, there was the bad acting...there was even a moment at the end of the flick where all is revealed (I won't give away what) and the audience (at least myself) knows exactly what has happened yet the main character says exactly what has just happened, like the filmmakers thought their audience was stupid. Just pass on this flick and don't bother wasting your time.
matches81
I just rented this one, mainly because of the DVD case saying "based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft". After a few other movies I've seen that said to be based on Lovecraft I have to say I was cautious, but still I wanted to like it. Overall, I actually do like this one. The budget obviously was tiny, so, the picture quality is really bad, the sound FX often sound off and some of the voice-overs don't match too good either. Still, the whole thing manages to stay enjoyable, if you're able to lower your expectations considerably in those regards and don't compare it to current blockbusters. The story is alright, although I simply have no idea on what Lovecraft story it supposedly is based on and the credits don't even mention Lovecraft. Still, it has some Lovecraftian moments in there and the creatures also definitely go in that direction. The acting isn't brilliant for sure, but I've truly seen far worse, although the dialog sometimes gets a little on the weird side of things. The visual FX actually are pretty good overall, again considering the budget, and never get in the way. One flaw that can't be attributed to the budget is that sometimes props go missing and reappear from scene to scene, especially obvious when those things are lights in an overall very dark movie. The ending is pretty predictable overall, but not bad.In the end I enjoyed this one and I'd say even compared to some way more expensive movies in the Lovecraft corner, this one holds up pretty well.
Music Scene
One hates to be mean, but everyone involved in this "film" please keep your day jobs. The acting, writing, look, F/X, everything is just so amateur. I was dragged to a screening here in Texas with some friends and they apologized afterward for making me go. I truly tried to like it for the independent spirit, but it is worse than Ed Wood bad. With all the garbage out there, you would think that people would know what to avoid. It amazes me that these people who attempt to make a movie, still do not know how to put one together that is remotely entertaining. Stay Away!
ravenscar-d
I was at the recent screening of this film at Fangoria, and I had several issues with the film. Most of it was dialogue-based - it struck me as false, even by horror standards. Some of the lines were played (or were seemingly played) for quips and it didn't settle well with the rest of what was trying to be a tense thriller. What was meant to be, I guess sardonic, came across as simply cheesy.The pacing was long - there were a lot of shots of the actors stumbling along in the dark that could have been sacrificed to move to the exposition faster, or portions of the exposition could have been doled out along the way.All that said - full kudos to the FX team. For a shoestring budget, they made the best. While some of the "closet set" shots were a little thin, the majority of the practical blood and make-up gags were well executed. I think the director and the crew managed to stretch a little quite far.And the opening credit sequence was very well done. Editing, photography, dialogue and sound were tight, concise, and enticing.But unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me interested.
AD
